She Called Me a Gentleman
by FinchFish
Summary: This is my very first fic so I apologize in advance if it blows ha. I promised miss Zillabean I would write a LaytonxEmmy fic for her and I finally sat down and decided to try it out. I don't have it all planned out quite yet so things are a bit up in the air at the moment, but I will try to be good at updating. For now enjoy! :)
1. Chapter 1

It had been a rather long day for Professor Layton. He had just ended his last lecture for the day and was walking back to his office. He was quite tired, but his mood brightened a bit as he stepped outside into the rare London sunshine and a refreshing spring breeze danced across his face. It was also Friday and he was thinking of ways he was going to spend his weekend as he walked into his office.

When he had left earlier in the morning his assistant, Emmy, was very busy organizing the clutter that seemed to accumulate every day the Professor was in, however when he walked in he found her half sitting, half leaning against his desk looking longingly out the window. He only saw her like this a brief moment before she realized she was no longer alone and gave him a small smile as she got up and tried to look busy.

Layton was surprised at how long he had been standing there looking at her before returning her smile, giving her a nod and a "hello" and walking over to his desk to put his bag down. He had noticed that Emmy was in fact an attractive woman when he first met her, but seeing her like that in the lighting from the window with a look he had never seen her carry before, stirred something in the Professor. He felt his stomach take a large leap and his heart fluttered for a split second. Seeing her so out of character and caught completely off guard made him appreciate her even more.

"How was your day, Professor?" Emmy asked him, shaking him out of his thoughts.

"Oh… a bit long" he gave a quick stretch "but I think I got some rather satisfying 'ah ha' moments from a few students who have been struggling. So a successful one nonetheless!"

He always thought Emmy grew bored of hearing of his classes and such. She had adventure in her blood after all and he imagined she wished to be chasing villains across rooftops somewhere instead of listening to him blabber on about his lectures.

Emmy secretly loved hearing the Professor get so passionate about his students and his teaching. She admired the dedication he held for all of his students, even those whom gave him a hard time or incessantly flirted with him. He began taking papers out of his case when he sneaked a peek out the window only to find a young couple sitting on a bench under a tree in a romantic embrace. Was that what Emmy was looking at? There wasn't really anything else of interest happening currently.

He glanced at her quickly and she was bent down picking up a few books, her brown hair covering most of her face except her chin where he could see a soft constant smile as she worked. He blushed a bit and continued emptying his case and putting things in the now organized desk. Layton actually very much liked Emmy's way of organizing his office. He would rather nobody clean at all, because he liked his organized chaos, but Emmy knew where he liked certain things and how to place them so he could find them again. There was a comfortable silence between the two as they worked and this gave some more time for the Professor to gather his thoughts about what he had felt earlier upon seeing Emmy. Was he starting to feel something more than a mutual respect and admiration for her? He couldn't quite tell yet. He didn't had much time to think about her in that way after returning from Misthallery, having been swept up immediately by school and missed work. Even while he was on his adventure with her he had been so focused on the issues at hand to even ponder it. Although he was truly impressed with her martial arts skills as well as her dependency as his new assistant, even if he hadn't personally hired her. Still he did enjoy her company. Not that it was entirely appropriate for him to think of her in that way in the first place he thought to himself.

He suddenly remembered that she mentioned that they had met before he almost ran over her with his car. He was ashamed to admit he still had no recollection of meeting her the first time. He wondered if now would be a strange time to ask.

"…Emmy?" he half mumbled.

"Yes?"

She had moved on to the bookcase and was placing the books she had picked up earlier into empty slots.

"You mentioned that we had met before our investigation at Misthallery… if it's not too much to ask, would you remind me of our first meeting?"

She turned to face him looking a bit surprised. "You still don't remember?" She chuckled and put her hand in her chin "Why would you I suppose… I'm sure you saved plenty of damsels in distress. Part of the gentleman code, right?" She teased.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, ha", he gave a small laugh and fiddled with the brim of his hat, looking rather flustered. "And I am sorry I don't remember. You must not have made a lasting impression as you did the second time we met" He smiled.

Emmy laughed remembering how she had almost run him over with her scooter.

"Well it was some time before I became your assistant…" she looked up at the ceiling as if the story was written on up there for her to read, remembering and continued.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'd say it was about five or six years ago now" Emmy began. "I was on my way to pick up some groceries and walked past Scotland Yard when a young boy pointed at me and started going on about stealing his wallet. Well that's when Inspector Grosky insisted I empty my bag and that's when he found the little sneak's wallet, which he must have planted minutes before."

She paused for a moment to see if any of this was ringing a bell with the Professor. However, all she could see was a mixture of intense concentration and confusion written on his face. She smiled and continued.

"So then I spent the next twenty minutes or so arguing with Grosky who actually _believed_ the little…" she felt herself getting angry again and lowered her tone a bit "…angel." She said sarcastically after trying to pick the appropriate word to use. "That's when you walked by and offered your assistance in solving the mystery."

Layton stood there thinking. It was starting to sound vaguely familiar but it was still a bit of a blur. "So what was the solution to this mystery?" he asked as Emmy had started to file books again and he was curious.

"If I remember correctly it was something about him stealing his mother's purse to buy a new pair of shoes and planting the wallet in my bag so it looked like the money had been stolen. But, I believe it was the look of the wallet that gave it away to you." She turned and looked at him for a reaction. He looked like he was finally putting the pieces together. "Then you took the boy to return the shoes and I came out to thank you and…"

"Oh!" He interrupted her before she got the part where he called her a lady, which had made her blush a bit at the time. "That's right, I'm starting to remember now!"

It was all coming into focus now. The picture was being painted in his mind. He could see Grosky and the boy and… a younger version of Emmy… wearing a skirt, which seemed so unlike her… and her hair was in a loose side ponytail. Finally he could see her in his memory as crisp as ever. She _was_ very attractive even then, but he didn't remember thinking that at the time. Then he remembered it had been a little less than a year since Claire had passed. Nothing really felt quite right after that, especially seeing other people.

Emmy had just been thinking how she figured he would remember the solution to the puzzle and not her when she realized the Professor had gone quiet after his last statement. She was sure he was going to say something after that but when she looked back at him his expression had changed to a somewhat sullen one.

"You alright?" she asked and came a bit closer to him.

"Hmm? Oh… yes!" He snapped out of his daze and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. I'm just sorry I couldn't remember originally. But, I'm glad we got that squared away, thank you for reminding me!"

"No problem!" Emmy smiled. "Thank _you_ again for saving me!" She gave him a small wink as she headed back to the bookcase and continued to reshelf.

Layton felt his cheeks warm a bit with the simple gesture of her playful wink. Keep it together he thought to himself. You shouldn't be getting so flustered by such interactions. You are after all several years older than her and she _is_ your assistant. What was the difference? Must be about seven or eight years… that's not too bad I suppose. No! This is absurd. Hardly something you should be spending so much time thinking about Hershel!

He tried to be productive and grade a few papers before clocking out for the evening, but the thought of Emmy kept popping in and out of his head. It didn't help that she was still in the office cleaning around him. It wasn't until he realized he had read the same paper about 3 times through and hadn't retained any of it that he finally decided to quit for the night.

"Well I think I'm going to head out," he said as he packed up his bag.

"Oh good timing! I was just finishing up, I'll walk with you!" Emmy squeezed by him to fetch her belongings.

Layton locked up and they set off down the hall. He didn't quite know what to say so they walked in silence. Finally when they got to the back of the building where they were parked as they were about to part ways he asked her, "So what are your plans for the weekend Emmy?"

She wasn't surprised by this question. He usually asked about her weekend plans, as he liked to plan little outings for her and Luke to accompany him on.

"Oh nothing too exciting. What did you have in mind?" she answered.

"I was thinking we could get dinner tonight, if you weren't too busy"

"Sounds good! I am a bit peckish and I'm sure Luke would have no objections," she chuckled.

"Well I was thinking… maybe just the two of us could grab something this time," he was shocked. What on earth was he saying?

Before he could say anything else, Emmy looked at him with a teasing smirk and said, "Are you asking me out on a date Professor?"

"Ah… no, no! I-I just… wanted to go over what I missed from this week's department meetings with you." His eyes darted around nervously unsure of what to focus on.

"Oh of course. What time then?" she asked. She had only been teasing but he was acting so strangely today. Plus he had never asked her to go anywhere with him outside of school without Luke. Perhaps the possibility of a date wasn't something entirely appropriate to be joking about she thought, hoping he didn't think she was some harlot. She was his assistant after all.

"Um… I'll pick you up around 7:00?"

"Alright, I'll see you then!"

He nodded and they set off to their separate vehicles. Layton got in his car and sat there for a minute or two. He waited until he saw Emmy speed away on her scooter then he put his head against the steering wheel. What just happened?


	3. Chapter 3

Layton walked into his house and put his keys in the bowl next to the front door. From the time he left the parking lot up to the present was a complete blur to him. Had he really just asked Emmy on a date? Well he had saved himself a bit with the excuse that they were to go over departmental meetings, so technically it wasn't a date… at least he hoped he convinced her it wasn't. He didn't want her to get the wrong idea. However, now that he thought back to it, he had no intention of discussing the meetings he had missed. Then why on earth did he invite only her? He could think of no other reason than the fact that his original intention _was_ to invite her on a date and it seemed like he had just come to accept that was what it was.

He breathed a heavy sigh as he sat on the staircase for a moment to think. He hadn't been this flustered and jumbled since he first met Claire. He lifted his hand to the brim of his hat. He had finally come to accept Claire's death. He still missed her and thought of her often, but he realized eventually she wouldn't want him to dwell on it, do what he could do for himself and keep moving forward. He thought this as the most respectful thing he could do for her and is what brought him out of the funk that he thought he would never be able to escape. He started finding delight in the little things again and his new teaching job kept him busy and challenged and now he was the happiest he had been a while. Even in these last few months with the case in Misthallery he realized having Emmy and Luke in his life now, made him happiest. He never minded being alone before, but his new assistant and apprentice reminded him that having friends and help is something that should never be taken for granted.

Layton snapped back to reality. Luke… he wondered if he would be staying with his parents for dinner tonight as his thoughts floated back to this "date" tonight. As if the boy could hear the Professor thinking about him, the front door opened and there he was in his school uniform.

"Hello Professor!" Luke chirped cheerfully then stopped and with a puzzled look and asked, "What are you doing?"

Layton realized he was still sitting on the stairs which must have been odd to Luke as he was usually busy doing something, rather, anything else than sitting on the staircase staring at his feet when Luke dropped by.

"Oh… just thinking about a few things, that's all my boy!"

"Well by the look on your face it looks as if it's a tough one", assuming the Professor was only stumped by a tricky puzzle. "Maybe I can help you with it if it's still giving you trouble later!"

Layton chuckled a bit, thinking how right Luke was. This whole Emmy situation was starting to become a very stubborn puzzle indeed. "I might just have to take you up on that offer!" He stood up and smiled down at the boy. "How was school today?"

"It was good". Luke said as they walked into the living room for some tea.

Layton continued into the kitchen to put the kettle on and get everything prepared. He thought of how to ask his next question. "What do you have planned for tonight, anything special?" he yelled into the living room.

"My mom and dad are having a dinner party with some friends from work, but some of my friends will be there too since our parents work together so it won't be too boring I suppose. They told me I should let you know you're welcome to come also!"

"Well that's kind of them… but I've already made plans tonight unfortunately" he cleared his throat and hoped Luke wouldn't ask about said plans.

"What are you doing tonight?"

Layton cringed a bit as soon as he heard the question. "Oh… well um… Emmy and I are going out to eat tonight. Uh to talk about a few school related items of course."

Luke went quiet. He thought to himself he had never seen or heard of the Professor and Emmy going anywhere alone together even for school related situations… it must be really important stuff!

"Oh alright… I'll let my parents know then!" he said after a few seconds.

"Don't worry, I'll give them a call in a moment so they can know as soon as possible. I don't want them to make any unnecessary arrangements," Layton returned.

He joined Luke back in the living room with their tea. They sat there for a while and talked about school and he was relieved that the topic of his dinner with Emmy tonight never came back up. After a while Luke gathered his things, said something that sounded like "thanks" and "goodbye" through a mouth full of scone, and was on his way back to his parents.

Layton picked up the phone and dialed Clark's office phone as soon as Luke left the house.

"Hello, Clark Triton speaking" came a voice from the other end.

"Clark, hello, it's Hershel"

"Hershel! I expect Luke's told you about dinner tonight?"

"Yes, thank you so much for the invitation, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I'm very sorry"

"Oh come now, it's Friday night and you've been working too hard recently old friend. Come wind down a bit with us, we've barely had time to catch up since the happenings in Misthallery."

"I would love to Clark, but I've already made plans."

"Hershel, if by 'plans' you mean, read all night until you fall asleep on your couch, I must remind you that you have _real_ friends who are just as interesting."

"Ha ha no don't worry, that's not on the agenda."

"So what _will_ be on the agenda tonight?"

Layton sighed. Luke certainly seemed to inherit his father's infamous curiosity. "I have dinner plans with… a friend." He realized he probably paused too long and was now regretting ever picking up the phone in the first place.

"A friend...?" This question was exactly what Layton was trying to avoid.

"Yes… Emmy" he sighed.

"You're lovely assistant? You're taking her out for dinner? Like on a date?"

"No! No we're just going over some work for school. Just a business dinner, that's all."

"Mmm I see."

It went quiet for a bit. Layton could tell Clark was thinking about the whole scenario. He wasn't entirely sure Clark believed him either. He was a horrible liar when it came to his friends.

"How old is she? Or rather what is the difference between you two?" Clark said suddenly rather seriously.

"Clark, she's my assistant! It's completely unprofessional to get involved in any sort of relationship that goes past friendship."

"Well, is there any official school rule against such a thing anyway?"

Layton paused. Now that he thought about he didn't think there _were_ any strict rules against romantic involvement between colleagues. In fact he knew of at least one couple that started their relationship while they were both teaching at Gressenheller, and now they're married.

"No… I guess there isn't." He answered. "But still she's seven or eight years younger than I am and… I don't know it still feels somewhat wrong to me."

"So you have thought about it?"

"…I"

"Look Hershel, she's a very attractive young lady and she seems to be a wonderful person. I know you say this dinner tonight is all business, but if something does happen between you two, it wouldn't be the end of the world. I just want you to find someone who is right for you and makes you happy, that's all… and seven or eight years is not a crime Hershel. It's somewhat normal you know."

Layton wasn't sure how to respond at first. He was grateful to have Clark as a friend as he knew he cared a lot about him, but he still felt a bit ashamed for thinking of Emmy romantically.

Finally he answered, "I don't know what to say. I definitely saw this conversation going differently beforehand, but thank you Clark that means a lot to me. I just can't say for sure yet that I have those sorts of feelings for her or that I should pursue her at this point."

"Well of course not, but you won't know until you try old chum ha ha"

"You have a point I suppose" Layton checked the clock. It was almost 6:30. "Oh I just noticed the time Clark, I have to get ready to go."

"Good luck tonight Hershel" Layton could hear him smiling "What are you going to wear?"

"Goodbye Clark", he sighed and hung up the phone.

He froze. What _was_ he going to wear? Oh for heaven's sake, what you're wearing now is fine, he thought to himself. It wasn't supposed to be a date anyway. But, what if she got dressed up? Well I guess that would depend on where we went for dinner… oh for the love of… he had completely forgot to pick a place to go tonight. He had never had such anxieties about anything else except when it came to the opposite sex. And at this point he didn't have time to worry, he had wasted too much time already trying to decide if he should keep his vest on or change into something more casual. Clark knew just what to say to make him fret. He decided to just wear what he had been wearing all day and get going.

The drive over to Emmy's apartment Layton spent most of the time wiping his sweating hands on his car seat. He parked next to the building and beeped once. He hated that all of a sudden he was nervous to be around Emmy even though they had spent a few months together already without any problem. He guessed it was the possibility of something happening between them that got him all scatterbrained.

Suddenly there was a knock on the window. Emmy was bent down waving at him through the window waiting for him to unlock the door. Layton let her in and was relieved to see she was wearing the same thing she wore earlier.

"Hello, you looked like you were lost in thought just then", she said as she settled into the passenger seat.

"Oh just a puzzle I've been struggling with recently", he smiled. "But, I'm sorry I don't remember actually picking a place for tonight. Were you in the mood for anything in particular?"

"Oh… I just assumed you had a place in mind."

Layton felt like an idiot.

"I heard of this new place that just opened a few blocks from here. Do you like sushi?" she asked.

He shook his head, "I'm afraid I've never had it, but I'd be willing to try."

"Great! It's just down this next right a bit."

Luckily it wasn't too far because Layton had once again drawn a blank on what to talk about. Emmy didn't seem to mind, she was quiet and seemed content on looking out the window at all the people and the darkening sky above.

The restaurant was very busy, but it was only a few minutes before they were seated and they were lucky enough to get a booth away from most of the crowd.

"You'll have to suggest some things for me to try Emmy" Layton said as they sat down and he took his jacket off.

"Well that all depends on if you like your fish raw or cooked ha ha."

"I'm not picky" he smiled.

"Then you should get what you think looks good. I bet you would like the Salmon roll! We could always get the Loveboat."

"Wh-what?" Layton almost choked on his green tea.

"Oh it's a special. It's just a large assortment of sushi and sashimi to split between two people. That way you can try a bunch of different things and see what you like."

"I suppose we could do that."

Emmy really caught Layton off guard and nearly made a fool of himself. When the waitress came back Emmy put in the order.

"Great that will be out as soon as possible," said the waitress. "Is this for a special occasion?" She looked at them, her eyes going back and forth between them suggestively.

"Hm?" Emmy looked confused at first. "OH! Oh no! No we're not together."

"Oh I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have assumed, that will be right out," she apologized and practically ran away leaving Emmy blushing and Layton mortified.


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm so sorry Professor, that was embarrassing," Emmy put her head in her hands. "It's my fault, it is a common dish for couples, I didn't even think about it."

"That's quite alright my dear," he was fiddling with his shirt collar.

He didn't quite know how to remedy the situation. They both looked around the restaurant awkwardly, trying not to meet each other's eyes. Finally Emmy spoke up.

"Well… shall we get down to brass tax then?" she said quickly getting some notes out of her bag.

"Ah yes, that's why we came after all!" He gave her a sort of half smile.

"Alright, first of all Dean Delmona wanted me to tell you that he has another puzzle he needs help solving… no doubt one of his granddaughter's. Secondly…"

Emmy continued reading from her notes she had taken during the department meetings and Layton tried to look focused. Every now and then he would give her a small nod to make sure she knew he was listening and absorbing the information. However, he wasn't really absorbing any of it. He was too busy studying her and thinking how he should be listening, but every time he tried to focus he only caught bits and pieces of important details that made no sense in segmented fragments. Several minutes later, the waitress came with their food, still looking embarrassed.

"Perfect timing", Emmy said, "Did you get all that Professor?"

"Yes", he lied. "Thank you once again for being there in my absence."

"You should thank Dean Delmona for hiring me", she smiled "He must really admire you, I don't think anybody else in the school has an assistant."

"You're right, however you should be thanked as well. I couldn't ask for a better assistant!"

Emmy beamed at him. "You're too kind, Professor!"

Layton looked down bashfully. It was only then did he notice there was no silverware on the table. He picked up the pair of chopsticks with a puzzled look. He looked up to see Emmy had picked up her set and started to pick up pieces of sushi and put them on her plate. She had obviously had much more experience with these things than he. He tried to pick them up like her but fumbled awkwardly with the sticks and ended up dropping them on his plate with a loud clatter, which caught her attention.

"Professor, have you used chopsticks before?"

"I'm a little embarrassed to say I haven't."

"Oh don't worry, you'll get the hang of it quickly, I'm sure. Just let this one rest on your middle finger, like this and… no your middle finger. Ok and then put the other one on top and then you sort of do this." She made the two sticks open and close, it looked easy, meanwhile Layton dropped his again and one fell into his lap. She giggled as he struggled to get the hang of it.

"Here it will probably be easier if I help you."

She got up and slid next to him on his side of the booth. She grabbed his hand and placed the chopsticks in the right position. He could feel himself blushing and tried to compose himself. Her hands were surprisingly gentle and smooth.

"There now move your finger… like that, yes! See you've got it now!"

She smiled up at him and noticed he had been staring at her and blushing. He became flustered at being caught staring at her so he cleared his throat and continued to practice using the chopsticks. She quickly got up and returned to her side of the table. She kept thinking in between suggesting rolls for him to try and acting like nothing had happened. She didn't want to make the evening more awkward than it had started out. What was the Professor doing? Was he attracted to her? Was that appropriate? Was she attracted to him? Her mind was going a million miles a minute and thoughts about the Professor and his behavior the whole day raced through her head. She was starting to get a headache. She had noticed the day she met him that he was very attractive and his charm and intelligence won her over straight away. She had occasionally thought about him in a romantic light but never paid much mind to it as she was mainly focused on keeping things professional. She was never informed of any school policy against romantic involvement… perhaps that meant there wasn't one. The more she thought about it the more she liked the idea of being more than friends with the Professor. He certainly treated her better than any previous romances she ever had. She smiled sweetly at him while she watched him try to pick up pieces of sushi, one hand struggling to hold the chopsticks correctly the other hand grasping his wrist to steady the chopsticks hand. She didn't want to admit it before but she definitely had a bit of a crush on him.

"Ha ha here," she reached over and grabbed one of his chopsticks. She speared a few pieces of sushi on to the chopstick like a kabob. She handed it back to him, smiled and said, "This might be easier. We don't have all night after all, Hershel!"

She froze, her mouth open. It just slipped out. He looked equally as surprised. He didn't think he had ever heard her call him by his first name before.

"Ah…thank you," he said and took the sushi kabob that she was still holding out for him to take. He swore for a second he saw her blush. He couldn't tell for sure, but he definitely felt like they had a moment. That and the strange overall awkwardness of the evening, he felt like she might have similar feelings for him. He would never know unless he outright asked her or made some sort of advance… and the thought of either one terrified him. He decided to just wait and see how the rest of the evening went… perhaps his thoughts were a bit premature.

They sat quietly eating for a few minutes when Emmy asked, "well Professor, what do you think of your first taste of sushi?"

"It's quite delicious! Thank you again for suggesting this place."

"It's no problem. Perhaps we can do this again sometime… just for fun, not for business I mean."

"Oh… yes, absolutely! Do you mean… just the two of us or should we invite Luke next time."

"Luke is always welcome, but this is also nice… just the two of us. We don't really get to spend much time together outside of school by ourselves do we?" She smiled at him and he felt his heart skip a beat.

"No, I suppose not. And this is nice. I'm not sure why we haven't done this before now."

"Well, Luke rarely leaves our sides," she chuckled. "That and people have a tendency to assume certain things about two people going out to dinner by themselves. I think our lovely waitress is a good example of that." Layton's face reddened again, but Emmy had come to find his blushing to be extremely endearing and was secretly hoping her last statement would get that sort of reaction out of him.

"Emmy… ", he started seriously but was interrupted as the waitress dropped off the bill. "Oh no need my dear", he said as she got her wallet out. "I insist".

"Oh well thank you Professor. Were you about to ask me something before?"

His brief moment of confidence had left him. "Um… I-I'm sorry I seemed to have forgotten."

Emmy looked at him curiously. She was sure he was going to ask her something very… important.

"Well shall we get going?"

"Yes it is getting a bit late", she answered as she got her belongings together and they headed towards the door.

He opened the door for her and they were confronted with torrential rain.

"Oh… ah hold on a moment," he said as he took his coat off and held it open for them both to get under before they got more drenched.

Emmy got underneath and positioned herself nicely next to him. She looked up at him and he smiled down at her. Both of their cheeks were rosy and two drops of rain fell from his hair right on to her nose.

"Oh I'm sorry!"

"It's alright."

She wiped her nose and they both chuckled a bit. Layton was grateful for the rain. It seemed like it was the perfect excuse to get close to Emmy and he noticed the overall mood between them had changed. It was less awkward and it felt comfortable to them both. They got in the car and he drove her back to her apartment. They were both quiet in the car. It was a comfortable silence and they both thought to themselves how to approach the end of the their evening together. Layton was sweating again but he wasn't as nervous as he had been before. As opposed to earlier, he definitely knew that something was stirring between them now and was more confident. He pulled up to the sidewalk and got out quickly so he could shelter her until they got underneath the little overhang by the front door.

"Thank you Professor! I wasn't prepared for this downpour. You saved me again!" she said sweetly as he shook his coat off them.

"It's quite alright Emmy."

They met eyes and stayed like that for a few seconds just smiling at each other. Layton decided this was the moment he was looking for.

"Emmy… I've been wanting to say something to you all day."

"Yes?" She moved closer to him.

"I-I just… wanted to tell you that… I'm truly grateful to have you in my life. You're the best assistant I could hope for and… I really value our friendship. I really admire your strength and courage and loyalty and I hope it's not too bold of me to say… but I've… come… quite… fond… of… y-"

In the last few words he spoke she had grabbed his tie and started pulling him closer and closer to her until their lips were centimeters away. He was cut off by her lips pressing up softly against his. She melted into him and wrapped her arms around his neck. His entire body felt warm and he placed his arms gently around her waist. They parted and she opened her eyes. His eyes stayed closed for a second or two before opening and looking at her. He exhaled shakily and smiled. Then he sheepishly leaned in and kissed her back. He didn't want it to end so quickly. They were trapped in the euphoric embrace of their first kiss and glowing with satisfaction in the moment. They stood there for a while, their lips parting and finding each other again. Finally they broke apart and held each other tightly in a long hug. Emmy pressed a light kiss on his cheek and let her nose run across his jaw line tickling him as she came face to face with him once again.

"Thank you… Hershel."

Hearing her say his name made him melt. All he could do was smile and nod. She turned towards the door and started to unlock it. Layton began to turn away to leave, when he felt her hand in his. He turned around and looked from their hands up to her. She slowly pulled him inside and locked the door behind them. Emmy had decided their evening together was far from done.

**So I've decided to end the story here. I'll leave something for the imagination ; )**

**I hope you enjoyed it. I might do some more short little one shots like this at some point so I'm sure there will be more LaytonxEmmy fluff to come! ^^ Thanks for reading!**


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